When it Snows..
by FigFan
Summary: Some holiday cheer..


Title: When it Snows...  
Author: FigFan  
Summary: When it snows, strange things happen..   
Disclaimer: NOT MINE!  
Notes: Word to the DSSers for outing me.   
Feedback Good. FigFan2002@yahoo.com  
  
They don't get much snow in DC. But when it does happen, there's no denying it. The flakes fly, the traffic stops, the river freezes. But with that first dusting of white, another change occurs. Spirits lift, and that warm fuzzy feeling occupies every soul in the city. The holidays are here, and no one can hide from them. People smile, music blares from car radios, lights twinkle from buildings and trees.   
  
When it snows, strange things happen..   
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/  
  
I'm not one for the holidays. I suppose my being Jewish has something to do with it. The month of December was never as fun for us. There were the Christmas carols, the Charlie Brown specials, the gingerbread cookies, the endless competitions to see who could put up the most lights, and candy canes on every street corner.   
  
But for us folks who celebrate Chanukah? A menorah. One song about a Dreidel. A stupid story about Chanukah Harry.   
  
So, needless to say, I'm not excited when I see my office twinkling from across the hallway.   
  
"DONNA!!!" I expect my assistant to leap out from behind a desk or something, but instead I hear her voice coming from my office.  
  
"What do you want now, Joshua?"  
  
I walk into my once-professional office and see her on a chair, struggling to tack icicle lights to the doorframe.  
  
"What the hell is this?"  
  
"I'm spreading holiday cheer."   
  
"In my office?"  
  
"Your office is decidedly non-cheery. I'm fixing that." She says this without looking at me, untangling the strands of wire. I never understood how anyone had the patience to work with those things.  
  
"Do you have to do it now? I have like, real work to do." Except I don't. And I expect her to call me on it.   
  
She does. "Don't give me that. You've been doing nothing but bothering people all morning. First Leo, then CJ, I swear Toby was about to shove you in a locker-"  
  
I take this chance to make a smart-ass remark. "I don't really think we have lockers here, Donna but-"  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
Feeling the need to get out of this Christmas hellhole, I make a decision. "I'm going to go see if Sam is doing anything important."  
  
"So you can bother him too?"  
  
I walk out the door, yanking the plug from the wall on the way. The lights darken, and I quickly duck as a few thumbtacks fly past my head.   
  
I cross the bullpen once more, taking stock of the decorations that have taken up residence on the desks and walls. And people accuse me of not focusing.  
  
I go to knock on Sam's door, and as I do, Toby comes walking out with a file folder. "Alright. I'll go find the list."  
  
"Are you gonna check it twice? Find out who's naughty and nice?"  
  
"No, Sam."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'm Jewish."  
  
Always can count on Toby.   
  
He retreats into his office, followed by Sam, who's apparently not amused by him. So much for that plan.   
  
I'm considering retreating to my festive office when I hear a voice calling me.  
  
"Joshua!!"  
  
I hate when she does that. I'm either in trouble, or.. Yeah. I'm in trouble.   
  
I should have stuck with the lights. I listen to Toby and Sam fighting for another second, and head towards my favorite Press Secretary's office.   
  
I'm no more than 2 steps into the room when CJ grabs me and kisses me.  
  
Whoa. Maybe I'm not in trouble.   
  
She breaks away from me, and I almost regret it. I look down at myself in disbelief. I don't look like Danny. At least, I hope I don't.   
  
She grins at me, and points towards the ceiling. "Mistletoe."  
  
I look up, and sure enough, there it is. I'll be dammed.   
  
She grins once more, and walks out the door.  
  
Can we do that again?   
  
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/  
  
I can't believe I just did that.  
  
I'm not even sure it was real mistletoe.  
  
I didn't really mean to kiss Josh. Well, okay. Maybe I did. But it was just to see how much I could rattle him. I didn't expect to be rattled myself.  
  
And I certainly didn't expect him to kiss back.  
  
I'm cool. I'm calm. I'm collected.   
  
I feel like my stomach has been drop-kicked to Japan and back.   
  
Unfortunately for me, I don't have a lot of time to put myself back together.   
  
"First snow of the season, Claudia Jean! Isn't it wonderful?" I spin around to see the President standing there, flanked by the usual Secret Service agents, and Charlie, who seems to be motioning to get away as fast as possible.  
  
"Yes, sir." My head is still spinning, yet I somehow manage to get that out without too much humiliation.   
  
At least I hope so.  
  
"Do you know how the tradition of Santa Claus got started?"   
  
Crap.   
  
Charlie rolls his eyes enough for me to see, and I frantically look around to find a way out of what is doomed to be a long and boring lecture about the history of Sweden. Or Norway. Whatever.  
  
I notice that Josh is still in my office, looking dazed and confused. I look back at the President, and act fast.  
  
"No, sir, I don't. But Josh is waiting for me to discuss something.. important."  
  
"Very well then. But don't think you're getting out of this conversation. I'm the boss around here, and sooner or later you have to listen to me."  
  
"Of course, sir." He turns around to go bother Sam or Donna or whoever happens to be in his path, and Charlie silently mouths 'Thank you' to me as he follows.  
  
Now onto Josh.  
  
I take a deep breath and walk back into my office. It's Josh. It was all in fun. A Christmas joke, if you'll call it that.   
  
"You can leave my office now."   
  
Please don't go. Please don't go.  
  
He looks at me again, and tries to string together a reply.  
  
"What? Oh... yeah.. right.. um.. uh.. I'll.. see... yeah."  
  
I've reduced him to single syllables.   
  
And yet he's not moving.  
  
Okay. I'm cool. I'm calm. I'm collected.   
  
"Seriously, Joshua, if you don't leave I might have to kiss you again. You're still under the mistletoe." I say this with just the right mixture of sarcasm and wit. I'm good like that.  
  
God, I want to kiss him again.  
  
He looks up at the mistletoe, and then back at me. If I didn't know any better, I would think I was conversing with that kid in high school who always stood by the girls bathroom waiting for his crush to walk out. The half open mouth, the goofy grin, the darting eyes...  
  
Okay, now I *really* want to kiss him again.  
  
I inwardly curse myself. This is *Josh*. Josh who's meant to be with his assistant. The young, cute, blonde one.   
  
Would he stop staring at me?  
  
Aw, to hell with this. I take a step so that I'm now under the mistletoe as well, and kiss him again.  
  
And this time he's definitely kissing back.  
  
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/  
  
CJ Cregg has just kissed me twice in the span of 10 minutes.   
  
Damn.  
  
The kiss ends, and she smiles at me. Not the grin from last time, but an almost conspiratorial smile.  
  
"Josh?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I don't really know if that's real mistletoe."  
  
"Okay." I pull her closer, and kiss her on the forehead.   
  
She reaches up, grabs the mistletoe, and places it in my shirt pocket.  
  
"Y'know, for safe keeping," she says before kissing me once again.  
  
I love the holidays.  
  
END  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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